Apparatus for making bread

ABSTRACT

A process for making bread is carried out in an apparatus which includes a kneader for kneading flour, yeast and water into dough and a pump for continuously feeding the mixed dough through flexible pipe to a cutting device which forms dough pieces. The apparatus also includes chains for transporting the dough pieces in receptacles along a sinuous path in a fermentation chamber to an oven where bread is formed. A solenoid valve is also included which injects water via tubular elements integrated with the kneader and pump to allow the dough to be more fluid. Water is again injected after delay to allow for self-cleaning of the pump and kneader. Water is also injected by a separate solenoid valve into the flexible pipe to clean such.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a panification process and machine which aresuitable for being implemented under the most varied or the mostdifficult climatic conditions of use, with a very short time delay afterstarting the machine which, in addition, can be easily transported, sothat the bread can be produced in large quantities in order to meet theneeds of famine-struck populations requiring aid.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Bread manufacture, or panification, includes three principal operations:the kneading operation intended to convert the flour and water intodough, at least two fermentations, and the baking which converts thefermented dough into bread. To these three principal operations areadded several handling sub-operations such as weighing, cutting up ofpieces or forming, which enable the future loaves to be shaped. Thismanufacturing is relatively labour-intensive and has to be performedunder sometimes difficult night-time working conditions, and this is whyattempts have already been made to overcome these constraints byproviding automatic panification machines as described, for example, inFR-A-2,515,001 or in U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,314 whose subject is adoughnut-making machine, that is to say a field which, whilst beingdifferent from panification, sometimes poses similar problems.

Automatic bread-manufacturing apparatuses have already been provided,see for example that marketed under the reference HB B100 of the HITACHICompany and those described in EP-0,243,364, WO-84/02449, EP-0,131,264or EP-0,113,327 and which are provided for domestic use in thehousewife's kitchen. Such apparatuses essentially comprise a containerinto which the ingredients (flour, salt, water, yeast, etc.) are putmanually and then mixed therein, the baking being performed in the samecontainer or in a stationary additional container and then extractedfrom the apparatus in order to withdraw and release the bread thusmanufactured. It goes without saying that such apparatuses arecompletely inappropriate for a use intended to satisfy a large demandfor bread, whereas known industrial installations are either notentirely automatic and do not operate continuously, such as thatdescribed in FR-A-2,515,001, or are complicated large installationswhich require both workforces to use them and workforces to maintainthem, in order to satisfy the obligatory hygiene and inspectionconditions imposed in industries manufacturing products for humanconsumption.

The problem which is posed, consequently, is to supply a panificationprocess and machine which palliate the disadvantages of the knownprocesses and machines.

It is, consequently, a general object of the invention to provide asolution to this problem by proposing a process and a machine usingwhich products as varied and of as good a quality as those fromconventional panification can be obtained whilst allowingindustrial-type automatic and continuous use.

In addition, it is an object of the invention to provide a process and amachine which enable, starting from basic raw materials which varydepending on the origin of the supplies specific to each culture, themanufactured products to be modified as required, in particular asregards their organoleptic qualities, their shapes, their weights and,in general, their characteristics, so as to render the said products asclose as possible to the taste and eating habits of the populationswhich benefit therefrom.

It is, furthermore, an object of the invention to supply a versatilemachine which operates entirely automatically and continuously, has arelatively limited overall size and which, consequently, can beinstalled in places of use where the space available is limited, forexample ships, but, in addition, in a completely different context,restaurant installations for public or private organisations or evenplaces of use which are inhospitable on account of their climaticconditions.

It is, likewise, an object of the invention to provide a compact machinerequiring only little energy for its operation and whose dimensions aresuch that it can be transported, with the usual handling means, toplaces where food supplies do not exist or exist no longer, for examplefollowing a natural disaster or the like, and which, as soon as it isinstalled and put into operation, enables bread to be supplied in largequantity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The bread-manufacturing process according to the invention, in which adough is prepared by kneading and fermented-dough pieces are baked, ischaracterised, in a first aspect, by a step of kneading and pumping ofsaid dough in kneader and pump means, respectively, which means aredesigned with integrated self-cleaning means.

The automatic and continuous manufacture makes it possible to obtain,without interruption, a large quantity of dough shaped into dough pieceswhich, after fermentation, are converted into bread products, whereasthe kneading using a atmospheric kneader/pump, and consequently verydifferent from the extrusion devices operating at high pressure, enablesa dough of excellent quality to be obtained under good conditions and ina relatively short time, all the obligatory hygiene conditions beingsimultaneously satisfied because of the presence of the self-cleaningmeans integrated in the atmospheric kneader/pump which can be easily andcompletely cleaned after each manufacturing run.

Likewise, according to the invention, the shaping of the dough pieces isperformed before the fermentation and directly after kneading on leavingthe atmospheric kneader/pump, without a resting phase, as in the usualand conventional panification processes.

Another characteristic of the process according to the invention makesprovision to carry out the dough manufacture within a predeterminedtemperature range, advantageously of the order of 30° to 40° C.,irrespective of the climatic conditions of the place of implementationof the process.

Such an arrangement enables water-vapour condensation phenomena to beavoided, which could be the cause of the formation of flour and wateraggregates hindering correct operation of the machine and the even flowof the flour and yeast out of their respective bins, and satisfactorycleaning.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the ratios of thesalted-flour/yeast/water mixture are selected as a function of the breadproducts desired to be manufactured and means making it possible toadjust the delivered quantities of salted flour and yeast are controlledaccordingly.

According to another aspect, the panification process according to theinvention is likewise characterised by the fact that provision is madefor the flour to be dropped from a predetermined height between itsoutlet from the bin, where it is stored, and the inlet of theatmospheric kneader/pump.

Likewise, according to the invention, the dough pieces, shaped afterkneading, travel in a fermentation chamber where the path issufficiently long so that the dough "rises" satisfactorily before thedough pieces are put into an oven, adjacent to the fermentation chamber,from which the bread products leave after baking.

For the cleaning phase, the invention makes provision to modify theratio of the flour/yeast/water mixture in order to render thecontinuously-manufactured dough more fluid and then, after a delayperiod, to carry out a washing operation using clarified water.

A panification machine according to the invention thus comprises,besides the presalted-flour and yeast bins:

means for controlling the quantities of salted flour and yeast which aredelivered from these bins;

means for feeding the flour and yeast towards a kneader where thenecessary water is also supplied in appropriate quantity;

a pump and transfer means for continuously feeding the dough, mixed andkneaded in the kneader/pump, towards a cutting device in order to formdough pieces;

self-cleaning means integrated into the kneader/pump and means for thecleaning of said transfer means for feeding the dough and of the devicefor cutting it;

receptacles for the dough pieces, connected to conveyor means which makethem travel first along a sinuous path in a fermentation chamber andthen in an oven; and

means for controlling the unloading of said receptacles to ensure thatthey are empty before said receptacles, continuing their movement, arebrought again to a loading station for dough pieces.

In a favoured construction of bread-manufacturing machine according tothe invention, the feeding of the flour and yeast is by gravity and thetransfer means is a deformable pipe.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the water supplied to thekneader/pump is at a pre-established temperature and is heated using acoil placed in the vicinity of means for heating the fermentationchamber.

In order to maintain a predetermined temperature range in thedough-manufacturing zone, this lying advantageously between 30° and 40°C., provision is made to fit the machine according to the invention withmeans for regulating the said temperature within the said predeterminedrange.

The invention also makes provision to connect to the atmospherickneader/pump a pressure sensor which makes it possible to regulate thequantity of dough supplied by the pump towards the cutting device.

In a preferred embodiment of the machine, the receptacles for the doughpieces are swing trays, the longitudinal ends of which are rigidlyconnected to two synchronous chains forming said conveyor means with, atthe outlet of the machine, toothed and notched wheels which cause thesaid swing trays to be turned upside down, thus guaranteeing that thebaked bread products are effectively unloaded from the swing trays sothat, on the return side of the chains, the said swing trays are emptyand suitable for once again receiving, when they arrive at thedough-piece dispensing station, new mixed or kneaded masses of dough forcontinuous operation.

Also connected to the machine are programming means for controlling itaccording to automatic-operation cycles selected as required from amongthe multiplicity of those offered to the user such as the shape(especially the length) and the weight of the bread products, theircomposition, the hours of operation, in particular the start-up times ofthe machine, the counting of the manufactured products, the cleaningcycles, etc.

In a preferred embodiment of the machine, the integrated self-cleaningmeans for the kneader/pump comprise means for the cleaning of a screw ofthe kneader, of an end blade of said screw and of a mixing finger,together with means for peripheral cleaning of the pump, whereas themeans for the cleaning of the transfer means (deformable pipe) forfeeding the dough and of the device for cutting or shaping the doughpieces include a chute and a pump for draining cleaning water flowinginto a channel passing through a movable carriage when the latter is ina cleaning position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear fromthe description which follows, given by way of example and withreference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a highly-diagrammatic view, in longitudinal section, of amachine according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the dough-manufacturing means;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view, in section, of the kneader;

FIG. 3A is a diagrammatic view, in longitudinal section, of a dough-pumpdevice;

FIG. 4 shows, diagrammatically, and in side view, the means for cuttingthe dough and for putting down the dough pieces into the receptacleswhich make them travel through the machine;

FIGS. 5 and 5A are diagrammatic plan views corresponding to that of FIG.4;

FIG. 6 explains the means shown in FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 7 shows, diagrammatically, means causing the turning-over of theswing trays at the outlet of the machine; and

FIG. 8 shows, highly diagrammatically, the circuit for supplying waterto a machine according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference is firstly made to FIGS. 1 and 2 which illustrate,diagrammatically, a panification process and machine according to theinvention which are intended for a use enabling large quantities ofbread to be supplied, contrary to domestic apparatuses such as may beencountered in the housewife's kitchen, but which do not have thedisadvantages, nor the dimensions of the known industrial panificationinstallations. The machine comprises a station 10, ordough-manufacturing station, with a presalted-flour bin 11, a yeast bin12 and a kneader 13. The bin 11 is connected via a pipe 14 to a reserve15, the outlet of which is fitted with a vibrator 14a, whereas a screw14b set in rotation by a motor 16 controls the restocking of the bin 11in response to a signal supplied by a "bottom level" sensor andinterrupts it when a "top level" is reached. Associated with the outlethopper 11a of the bin 11 are a screw 17 driven by a motor 18 in order tocontrol the quantity of salted flour delivered by the hopper, and arotary comb device 19, driven by the same motor, and which is intendedto prevent "bridging" of the said hopper, similar means, namely a screw20 driven by a motor 21, being associated with the yeast bin 12 in orderto control the quantity of powdered yeast delivered. The latter is fedvia a pipe 22 which is extended by a pipe 23 where the flour coming fromthe bin 11 is introduced.

At the downstream end of the pipe 23, in the direction of flow of theflour and of the yeast which travel under gravity therein, a valve 30enables the said pipe to be isolated from the inlet 31 of the kneader13. The latter, FIG. 3, which makes it possible continuously to mixsalted flour, yeast and water heated by a coil S and supplied via a pipe35, connected to a motor-driven pump 35a via a tubular element 35b,comprises, in a body 36, a tapered screw 36' including, at itsdownstream end, in the direction of travel of the dough, a mixing finger39 and a blade 37 permitting the essential cleaning of the kneader, theoutlet 38 of which constitutes the inlet of a device 40, FIG. 3A, forfeeding the dough towards a station 55 for cutting up and shaping thelatter, by means of a flexible and deformable pipe 42. Associated withthe device 40, constituted by a pump body 41 in which a screw 41' drivenby a motor 43 is mounted so as to rotate, is a tubular element 44 whichemerges into a peripheral counterbore 45 of the pump body and which isconnected to a source of pressurised water provided for the cleaning ofthe device, as will be explained hereinbelow. The kneader 13 and thedevice 40 thus form an atmospheric kneader/pump, the operation of which,contrary to that of the known extrusion devices, does not take place athigh pressure, so that the dough which the atmospheric kneader/pumpdevice 13-40 delivers has the characteristics of dough of the usualpanification processes, resulting in a quality of the productsmanufactured which is similar to that of the said products. Provision ismade in the pump body 41 for a pressure sensor 54, by means of which thequantity of dough supplied by the pump 40 to the cutting device 55 isregulated.

The flexible pipe 42, in which is mounted, in order to clean it, a fineperforated tube 50, which is connected via an end-fitting 51 to thesource of pressurised water, terminates at its downstream end, in thedirection of travel of the dough shown by the arrow f, in a station 55for cutting up and shaping the said dough into individual dough piecesp. As FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 clearly show, the station 55 essentiallycomprises a carriage 60 pierced by a through-channel 61, which isvertical under the conditions of normal use of the machine and the upperend of which, FIG. 6, emerges into an end-fitting 62 on which theflexible pipe 42 is mounted. The carriage 60 is constructed so as tomove with a to-and-fro translational movement transversely to thelongitudinal direction of the machine, that is to say in the directionsof the double arrow t, FIGS. 5 and 5A, when a motor 66 connected to arack-and-pinion assembly 67, 68 is put into operation, the carriagebeing guided by slide-shafts 63 and 64.

Beneath the lower face of the carriage 60 is arranged a cutting blade orcutter 70, FIGS. 5A and 6, suitable for closing off the lower outlet ofthe channel 61 in order to cut up the continuous dough sausage, T,coming from the pipe 42 and which has passed through the said channel61. The cutter blade 70, treated so as not to stick to the dough, isdriven in a reciprocating to-and-fro movement in the direction of thedouble arrow c, FIG. 6, by a double toothed-pinion (such as 71)/rack(such as 72) system, one of which is "pulling" and the other "pushing"and which are coupled to the blade by fingers such as 73. The carriage60, with the cutting blade 70 with which it is associated, is installedin the machine according to the invention so as to occupy two positionsshown diagrammatically in FIG. 4, one in solid lines and the other indotted lines, and which correspond, respectively, to the said "working"position in which the carriage cuts the continuous dough sausage T whichit receives via the pipe 42, in order to form dough pieces p and to putthese down onto receptacles or swing trays 90, in a manner which will bedescribed hereinbelow, and the other (in dotted lines) of whichcorresponds to a cleaning position.

More precisely, the slide shafts 63 and 64 which guide thetranslational-sliding movement of the carriage 60 in the direction ofthe double arrow t are joined together at their ends by cross-members 75and 76 on the one hand, and are received, on the other hand, in crankarms 77, 78, 79 and 80, which are themselves mounted so as to pivotabout shafts 81, 82, 83 and 84 on the frame M of the machine, FIG. 5, sothat, in response to the actuation of an actuator cylinder 85, the red86 of which is coupled to the slide shaft 63 via a crank 87, thecarriage can pass from the position shown by the solid lines in FIG. 4to that shown by the dotted lines, thus freeing the zone 89 where theswing trays 90 receive, normally, the dough pieces p.

The said zone 89 is that where the receptacles or swing trays 90,rigidly connected to two endless chains 91 and 91a, arrive beneath thelower outlet of the through-channel 61 of the carriage 60 and of theblade 70 associated with it, each swing tray receiving, at the outlet ofthe channel 61, a certain quantity of dough, which quantity isdetermined by the speed of movement of the carriage along the directionof the double arrow t, on the one hand, and the actuation of the cutter70 on the other hand. Thus, and by appropriate programming, an actuationof the cutting blade 70 causes quantities of dough with the shape oflong rolls are put down into the swing trays 90, as shown in FIG. 5A,whereas a repeated actuation of the cutter 70 during the outward travelas well as the return travel of the carriage puts down quantities ofdough corresponding to "round" rolls, P_(i), P_(i+1), P_(i+2), etc.,FIG. 5, onto the swing trays 90.

In accordance with the invention, the manufacture of the dough, togetherwith its cutting and putting-down into the swing trays 90, are performedwithin a predetermined temperature range, advantageously of the order of30° to 40° C. and, in order so to do, the machine comprisestemperature-regulating means shown diagrammatically as 53, FIG. 1.

Irrespective of the shape of the dough pieces p put down at the station55 and in the zone 89 by the carriage 60/cutter-blade 70 device, beforefermentation of the dough, the swing trays 90 are conveyed from thestation 55 inside a fermentation chamber 100, FIG. 1, heated byelectrical resistance elements 101 in the vicinity of which is placedthe coil S for heating the water for kneading and where the swing traystravel along a sinuous path defined by toothed return wheels such as102₁, 102₂, etc., at the top part of the chamber and 103₁, 103₂ etc., atthe bottom part, the driving of the two synchronous chains 91 and 91abeing controlled by a motor system 105, FIG. 1.

Upon leaving the fermentation chamber 100, the swing trays 90 loadedwith "risen" dough enter an oven 110 which is not completely closed atthe bottom part, whilst however being almost completely closed off bythe swing trays which act as closure members. A lagged chamber 111surrounds the oven 110 on its lateral walls and at the top part, inorder for the relatively high temperature, of the order of 220° to 280°C. which prevails in the said oven, to have no influence on thetemperature prevailing in the fermentation chamber or in the actualdough-manufacturing part.

The path of the swing trays 90 in the oven 110, distinctly shorter thanthat of the said swing trays in the fermentation chamber 100, causes thedough pieces p to be baked at the most appropriate temperature for theproducts being manufactured, the said temperature being regulated bymeans of a probe 112, which acts on heating resistance elements, such as113 and 114, the first being adjacent to the lateral walls of the ovenand the second to its lower part where an air-circulating fan 115 isalso provided.

Upon leaving 116 the oven 110 at exit 116, the swing trays firstlytravel in a zone 117 and then in a zone 118 for removing themanufactured products, which zone comprises, at the top part, meansshown as 120, FIGS. 1 and 7, for causing the swing trays 90 to turn overand thus for ensuring that the baked bread products are effectivelyunloaded from the swing trays so that, on the return side b of thechains 91 and 91a, the said swing trays are empty and suitable onceagain for receiving, upon their arrival at the station 55 and in thezone 89, new masses of dough for a continuous operation of the machine.

As FIG. 7 shows, the means 120 essentially comprise a toothed wheel 121coaxial with a notched wheel 122, the first receiving the pins 123 forhinging the swing trays onto the chains 91 and 91a, while the second,the notches of which, such as 124, interact with studs such as 125associated with the platforms, causes the latter to be turned over andthe manufactured products PA to drop onto an inclined plane 126 fromwhere the said products are conveyed towards receiving bread binsarranged at the outlet of the machine.

This machine, as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1, is enclosed in asheet-metal casing or shell 130, the part of which close to the bins 10and 11 comprises control and programming panels and the electrical powerinstallations, while on the external sheet-metal casing or shell 130 areprovided means of connection to an electric power source, showndiagrammatically as 131, means for supplying water, showndiagrammatically as 132, and means for draining the waste water, showndiagrammatically as 133.

A machine according to the invention, equipped with approximately 300swing trays and whose overall dimensions are of the order of 1×2×3.5 mfor a weight of approximately 1600-1900 kg can supply 800 individualrolls per hour.

Such a machine can also be easily transported in order to permit asupply of famine-struck populations or populations victim of a naturalor other disaster or, under conditions of normal use, be moved withoutdifficulty between its place of construction and its place of use, forexample a ship where only little space is available, or alternatively beused as a mobile industrial manufacturing unit.

The operation of a machine according to the invention stems immediatelyfrom the above. After the bins 11 and 12 have been loaded with saltedflour and yeast respectively, and after the machine has been connectedvia its means 131 to an electric power source and via its means 132 and133 to a circuit for supplying water and for draining waste water, anoperator displays, on a control and programming panel, the nature,number, quantity, etc. of the products which are to be manufactured.Using the instructions received, the programming devices control themotors 18 and 21 driving the screws associated with the outlet hoppersof the bins 11 and 12 and pre-established quantities of salted flour andyeast are then continuously fed into the pipe 23, the height of which,between the outlet of the bins and the inlet 31 into the kneader 13, isof the order of some twenty centimeters.

The salted flour and yeast which enter the kneader 13 are then mixedtherein with a predetermined quantity of heated water in order tomanufacture, continuously, a dough taken up, upon leaving the kneader,by the pump 40, the combination of the kneader 13 and pump 40 forming anatmospheric kneader/pump device which delivers the dough, thus mixed andkneaded, via the flexible pipe 42 towards the station 55 for cutting upthe said dough and for putting it down, in the form of dough pieces p,into the swing trays 90. The carriage 60, initially in the conditionshown by the solid lines in FIG. 5, on the one hand, and in its workingcondition, also shown by the solid lines in FIG. 4, on the other hand,then moves in the direction of the chain 91a, while the actuation of thecutter blade 70, which cuts up the dough sausage T, forms dough pieces pput down during forward travel onto a swing tray 90_(n), which is thenstationary, and then during the return of the carriage onto a swing tray90_(n+1), this also being stationary, and which has taken the place ofthe swing tray 90_(n) which has moved, meanwhile, getting closer to thefermentation chamber.

In one embodiment of the machine, each of the swing trays 90 remainsimmobilised at the station 55 for approximately 18 seconds and thenprogresses for 3 seconds in order to be replaced by the next swing tray.

Upon leaving the zone 89, which is that where the swing trays 90 areprovided with dough pieces p, the said swing trays follow a shorthorizontal path and then enter the fermentation chamber 100 where theyare conveyed, by moving vertically, from the bottom up, and then fromthe top down, then from the bottom up, etc., along a sinuous pathtravelled at a speed such that the dough pieces reside in the saidfermentation chamber maintained at a constant temperature, of the orderof 40° C., for an average period of the order of one hour, thefermentation phase being followed by that of baking in the oven 110.After leaving the oven 110, the swing trays guided on a short horizontalpath, resume a vertical ascending movement in the zone 117 and thenreach the zone 118 in the vicinity of the outlet of the machine wherethe swing trays are unloaded and the manufactured products removed.

The total duration of the manufacturing cycle lies between approximately1 hour 40 minutes and 2 hours.

After a given operating time, the invention makes provision for acleaning procedure. The latter is carried out using clarified water froma mains pipe 140, FIG. 8, connected via means 132 to the drinking-watersupply. More precisely, the invention makes provision, when a cleaningphase has to be initiated, for progressively reducing the quantity offlour which is extracted from the bin 11 whilst keeping the quantity ofwater injected into the kneader constant, so that the consistency of thedough coming from the atmospheric kneader/pump 13-40 is increasinglymore fluid over a pre-established delay period which enables the doughwith normal consistency, present downstream of the pipe 42, to be used.When the delay time has elapsed, the carriage 60 is moved using theactuator cylinder 85 in order to bring it into the condition shown bythe dot-dashed lines in FIG. 4, in which position the through-channel 61is vertically in line with a vertical chute 141 fitted, at its lowerpart, with a cleaning-water draining pump 142 driven by a motor 143 andthe outlet 144 of which is connected to the means for draining the wastewater which are shown as 133. When the carriage 60 is in this position,the opening of a solenoid valve 165, connected to a clarified-water pipe140, ensures, by means of a tubular element 166 connected to theend-fitting 51, the cleaning of the flexible pipe 42 by means of theperforated fine tube 50 and that of the through-channel 61, the doughhaving fluid consistency coming from the atmospheric kneader/pump beingeasily drained by the pump 142. After stopping the supply with flour andyeast to the kneader 13, by closing the valve 30, the solenoid valves150 and 151, FIG. 8, are made to operate, these being connected to theclarified-water pipe 140. Opening the solenoid valve 150 then forciblyinjects into the kneader 13, via a tubular element 152, the cleaningwater in the region of the screw 36', whereas opening the solenoid valve151 forcibly injects, via a tubular element 153, the cleaning water ontothe blade 37, the draining flow being provided by a pipe 155 whoseoutlet into the kneader 13 is closed by a valve element 156, FIG. 3.

For the cleaning of the pump 40, it is a solenoid valve 160 which ismade to operate and which injects the cleaning water, via a tubularelement 161 and then via the pipe 44 into the counterbore 45 of the pumpbody. Such an arrangement ensures complete and total peripheral cleaningof the pump and of all the parts of the machine where the dough flows.

After cleaning the machine, in the manner which has just been described,the manufacturing run may once again be started, by bringing back thecarriage 60 into its operating position, by operating the actuatorcylinder 85 and then by opening the valve 30 for supplying the kneader,for a continuous manufacture, as explained hereinabove, the saidmanufacture taking place screened from impurities in the machineenclosed in its shell 130.

I claim:
 1. A bread-manufacturing machine characterised in that itcomprises:at least one salted-flour bin (11) and at least one yeast bin(12); means (17, 20) for controlling the quantities of salted flour andyeast which are delivered from these bins; means (22, 23) for feedingthe flour and yeast towards a kneading means (13) where the necessarywater is also supplied in appropriate quantity; pump (40) and transfermeans (42) for continuously feeding kneaded and mixed dough towards acutting device (60, 70) in order to form dough pieces (p); self-cleaningmeans integrated into the kneader means/pump, and means for the cleaningof said transfer means (42) for feeding the dough and of the device (60)for cutting it; receptacles (90) for the dough pieces (p), connected toconveyor means (91, 91a) which make them travel first along a sinuouspath in a fermentation chamber (100) and then in an oven (110); andmeans (120) for controlling the unloading of said receptacles (90) andto ensure that they are empty before said receptacles, continuing theirmovement, are brought again to a loading station (55) for dough pieces(p).
 2. Bread-manufacturing machine according to claim 1, characterisedin that feeding of the flour and yeast is by gravity and wherein thetransfer means is a deformable pipe (42).
 3. Bread-manufacturing machineaccording to claim 1, characterised in that the water supplied to thekneading means/pump (13, 40) is at a pre-established temperature and isheated using a coil (S) advantageously placed in the vicinity of means(101) for heating the fermentation chamber (100).
 4. Bread-manufacturingmachine according to claim 1, characterised in that the receptacles forthe dough pieces are swing trays (90), the longitudinal ends of whichare rigidly attached to two synchronous chains (91, 91a) forming saidconveyor means with, at the outlet of the machine, toothed and notchedwheels (121,122) causing the said swing trays to turn upside down inorder to unload baked bread products effectively.
 5. Bread-manufacturingmachine according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises means(53) for regulating the temperature in a dough-manufacturing zone inorder to keep the said temperature within a predetermined range. 6.Bread-manufacturing machine according to claim 5, characterised in thatthe said means keep the temperature of the dough-manufacturing zone at avalue lying between approximately 30° and 40° C.
 7. Bread-manufacturingmachine according to claim 1, characterised in that a pressure sensor(54) is connected to the kneading means/pump (13, 40) in order toregulate the quantity of dough supplied by the pump (40) to the cuttingdevice (60, 70).
 8. Bread-manufacturing machine according to claim 1,characterised in that it comprises programming means so that it operatesautomatically according to a cycle selected from a multiplicity of thoseoffered to the user, such as the shape and weight of the bread products,their composition, the hours of operation, in particular the start-uptimes of the machine, the counting of the manufactured products, thecleaning cycles, etc.
 9. Bread-manufacturing machine according to anyone of claim 1, characterised in that the integrated means for theself-cleaning of the kneading means/pump (13, 40) comprise means for thecleaning of a screw (36') of the kneader (13), of an end blade (37) ofsaid screw and of a mixing finger (39), together with means forperipheral cleaning of the pump (40).
 10. Bread-manufacturing machineaccording to any one of claim 1, characterised in that the means for thecleaning of the transfer means (42) for feeding the dough and of thedevice (60) for cutting the dough include a chute (141) and a pump (142,143) for draining cleaning water flowing into a channel (61) passingthrough a movable carriage (60) when the latter is in a cleaningposition.
 11. A bread manufacturing machine according to claim 1characterized in that for a cleaning phase said self-cleaning meanscomprises means for modifying a ratio of a flour/yeast/water mixture torender the continuously kneaded and mixed dough more fluid and means forcarrying out after a delay period a washing operation with clarifiedwater.